JEALOUSY IN DEATH

20.

_____________________

20. Desiree

_______________________________


Desiree was back to work and Bobo was eating his breakfast while she packed his lunch box. He was reading a poem as he ate and she did nothing to stop him. Getting him ready for school every morning was a chore, and she allowed him do whatever he wanted so far he got dressed and ate on time.

Lucas came downstairs and grunted a greeting at her. She ignored him but placed a plate of pancakes and butter with scrambled eggs and slices of banana in his front. He got orange juice for himself and she watched as he ate. How could anyone be okay with ignoring someone they passionately kissed few day ago? Apparently, only Lucas. He was doing a good job also because whenever she tried to talk to him, he looked at her like she was disturbing him.

Bobo dropped his spoon triumphantly in his bowl and stood from the stool. Desiree cleaned his mouth and smoothed his braided hair before getting his bags. She gave him a chance to kiss and hug his dad before walking out of the door with him.

The house was as silent as a graveyard when Desiree got back. Lucas hadn't bothered with a note. She already knew what to do without his input so she went to Bobo's room and got his dirty clothes. As Desiree finished from the main house, she passed the pool and walked to the guest house. She looked at the pool before opening her door. She'd not tested the pool yet and it was so tempting. Desiree rushed into the house and went to the bathroom.

She came out ready for a swim and got two large towels before wandering towards the pool. Desiree looked around to double check if she was alone. She jumped into the pool wearing only her matching bra and panties and she kicked her legs as she swam. She was going to enjoy the amenities that were readily available to her. The sun wasn't fully out yet so the pool was still cool and she took advantage. She swam for an hour then got out and went to the lounge chair. She sighed in contentment as the sun beat her skin, it was a glorious feeling and she felt so relaxed. She took a short nap and woke up hot and sweating. The sun had gotten hotter while she slept and she hurried back into the guest house.

There was nothing left to do. She had breakfast after Lucas left and had done the chores that needed to be done. She'd passed some time by swimming and napping and she had two hours left before getting Bobo. She paced the length of her room as she thought of what to do. She was scared that one day she'd wake and become as moody as Lucas if she didn't find something to make her happy. She got her laptop and found more recipes of healthy meals online then searched for quizzes when that didn't help with the boredom. She'd not exercised her brain intellectually in a while and it felt like she was losing brain cells.

Desiree got a paper and pen and went to the living room. She took a quiz that lasted for thirty minutes. She'd aced it without breaking a sweat so she looked for more difficult ones. She was redirected to a site that had tough Economics questions and she smiled as she saw questions relating to Macroeconomics.

She got excited as she answered questions after questions. She flipped the paper to the other side as she answered more questions. In as much as she loved looking after Bobo, she missed using her brain. It'd be nice to teach someone or be back in her office doing great things. She thought about asking Lucas for another job. She could help him with his paperwork. He brought a lot back from the office and he spent long hours in his study working on them. It was something that exhilarated her and she could do it for little or no fee at all.

Desiree dropped her pen as she got ninety-eight percent on the quiz. She frowned at the missing two percent, she was a hundred percent kind of person. She checked the question she missed and found out she'd misinterpreted it. She checked the time on her wrist and changed into her clothes as she got ready to get Bobo from school. This time she held the car key tightly in her hand and didn't stop at the kitchen. She hated what had happened the last time and the fact that it ruined her and Lucas' budding friendship made her all the madder.

He probably thought she was a nut case. She switched her train of thought as she found herself getting cranky. It was just that she couldn't remember that day without getting angry and suspicious. Desiree drove to Bobo's school and saw him run out as he saw the car, she smiled when he got into it.

"Tell me all about school."

Bobo ignored her question and her smile fell. It was so unlike him not to tell her everything that went on in his class. Desiree turned back and saw Bobo trying not to cry.

"What happened?"

"I want glasses."

"For your eyes? Is anything wrong with them?" Bobo nodded and Desiree joined him at the backseat. "We'll go to the Doctor during the weekend, okay?"

"Okay."

"Gimme a hug then." Bobo smiled and hugged her. "So how was school today?"

"Fine."

"Nothing exciting happened?" Bobo shook his head, no and Desiree went back to the driver's seat.

As she drove home, she watched Bobo from the mirror. He wasn't talking or trying to sing along to the song playing on the radio. It was so unlike him and she thought of what to do to get him back to his usual chatty mood. When they got home, Bobo raced toward the stairs and didn't make it back to the kitchen as Desiree expected. She went upstairs and stood at the entrance of his room. He was talking to himself when she opened the door, he looked at her and fell into his bed.

"Is everything okay with you?" She switched off the ceiling fan when a cold breeze of air hit her.

"Yup."

"Okay. What do you want to do this afternoon?"

"Sleep."

"Would you like cupcake when you wake? Daddy doesn't have to know." Bobo finally smiled. One thing she noticed about him was that he liked being asked to keep secrets.

"Can I have it now?"

"If you'll assist me in making it."

"Awesome!"

Bobo followed Desiree to the kitchen and they ended up making chocolate cheesecake. The kitchen was a mess by the time she took the cake to the freezer to cool. Bobo was playing with chocolate chips wrappers while Desiree started cleaning up.

"Are you ready?" Desiree asked after thirty minutes as she went toward the freezer for the cake. Bobo was holding a small fork and he banged it on the marble counter as a reply. "Here it comes."

Desiree took the cheesecake and placed it on the counter. She got a clean fork for herself and Bobo and they dug in.

"Hmm, delicious."

Bobo shook his head and said, "Yes."

She and Bobo were so into the cake that they didn't notice when Lucas walked in.

"Wow. Is this what betrayal feels like?" he asked no one in particular.

"You're home early," Desiree said after checking her watch.

"Is that right? Good thing something pushed me out of my chair, what do we have here?"

"Chocolate Cheesecake," Bobo answered.

"Have I died and gone to heaven?"

Bobo chuckled at his dad statement and Desiree threw him a fork so he could join in.

"I have a lot of catching up to do." Lucas dug in and took a large piece and Desiree stopped to look as he wolfed it down. "Jesus, this taste like sin."

Lucas and his son were having a battle of who could take the largest bite and Desiree smiled as she watched them goofing around. If she'd known earlier that chocolate cheesecake was all it took to maim the man, she'd have made like a dozen.

"I needed this." Lucas dropped his fork as they finished the cake.

"Why are you so keen on eating healthy food if you both have such sweet tooth?"

"For this exact reason. Can you imagine how obese we'd become if we ate unhealthy food on top of this?"

"You have a valid point. It all makes sense now."

"Thanks, Dee," Bobo said as he got on his dad's back.

She blew him a kiss as he was carried upstairs and he gave her a grin.